The Best Ugly Restaurant and Rhythm Bar is the hottest ticket for live jazz in Green Point - and it is set right opposite the Green Point Stadium. The upstairs lounge has a cosy fireplace, soft leather couches and a veranda overlooking the main road and stadium. Here you can enjoy a selection of the best single malt whiskies, and smoke the finest Cuban cigars.
During the weekdays a pianist plays mellow tunes and over weeknights a variety of live jazz bands croon out classic and modern jazz. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and the menu is fairly varied with a good balance of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. Don’t expect anything too fancy, but certainly the warm atmosphere makes up for it.
You don’t have to book for a meal to listen to the live music, and their cocktails are outstanding, and very reasonably priced. It’s great place to go to if you’re in need of a vibrant atmosphere and live music, without having to venture into town.
If unchecked, tourism can have a very negative impact on the environment through unlimited use of limited resources such as water & energy, waste, destruction of the landscape and society (tourism without regard to local people and their culture).
Ecotourism dates back to the early 80’s, when the first ideas of ‘doing no harm’ to nature were developed. Today we are encouraging local people to participate in the tourism economy. This means buying local, employing locals, supporting community projects, sustainable use of natural resources and respecting local traditions.
Ecotourism focuses on volunteering, personal growth, and learning new ways to live on the planet. It typically involves travel to destinations where flora and faura and cultural heritage are the primary attractions. Ecotourism promotes recycling, energy efficiency, water conservation and the creation of economic opportunities for the local communities.
What exactly is Sustainable Tourism? The World Tourism Organisation says it best… “It is envisaged as leading to the management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems.”
Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) is a non-profit organisation that promotes sustainable tourism development.
Fair Trade in Tourism is all about ensuring that the people whose land, natural resources, labour, knowledge and culture are used for tourism activities, actually benefit from tourism. In our September newsletter we will further explore the concept of Fair Trade in Tourism and its main players in South Africa. Until then, fix those leaking taps and change to energy saving light bulbs!
Diya Travel Consultants cares about our planet. The evidence of global warming’s negative impact is piling up. Anybody that still thinks going ‘green’ is just a passing trend - is in severe denial. Diya consists not only of seasoned travel and tour guides, but we are also an ecologically and socially conscious bunch. So we figured that the best way for us to contribute to the wellbeing of our ecology and our planet, is to research venues and organisations that actively promote sustainable practises and events - and present them to you. To this end we have invited the very smart Nathalie Bednarek, a German native, and a student of Geography, to come and do her 3-month internship at the Diya offices.
Nathalie is our Green Portfolio researcher
She will be spending all her time and energy on our forthcoming Green Portfolio, which includes hunting down all the accommodation and tours that meet the requirements of green and sustainable tourism guidelines. If you have a green tip, or know of a suitably ‘green’ organisation that we might want to investigate, please drop Nathalie a line at nathalie@diyatravel.com. We will have monthly Green Portfolio listings on both our newsletter and blog. In our next blog posting we will investigate what Fair Trade and Ecotourism really means for our people and our planet.
We really like what Toshiba is doing: If your old laptop still has trade-in value, Toshiba will mail you a credit when you send your old working laptop to them. And even if it isn’t working, they will ensure that it’s recycled properly. Toshiba’s technology is green from the ground up. There suppliers must participate in a stringent, 22-point environmental performance survey, and they then favor those with the highest scores. This program not only results in greener products, but encourages other companies to improve their environmental practices too. Check them out on Toshiba goes green for more information.
A total of 15 000 volunteers are needed to help the organising committee run the 2010 World Cup across South Africa.
Nearly 40 000 people applied for the 4 000 available volunteer positions for the Confederations Cup alone! Volunteers will be selected from South Africa and the rest of the world. Not only do volunteers get an opportunity to work with people from all other countries; you will also get a certificate to show off.
Find the application form on the FIFA website, or call the volunteer hotline on 0800 52 52 52 (toll-free in South Africa).
Experience South Africa in style; take the train. There are some excellent companies offering the most exclusive luxury tailor-made train trips. You can relax in a 5 star environment, eat only gourmet meals, and indulge in the finest wines whilst watching the breathtaking landscape roll by.
Orient-Express Safaris promises to deliver a unique travel experience in and around South Africa. They have varied packages tailor-made to your individual needs. Whether you decide to stay at one of their five luxury Southern African safari camps and hotels, or travel to other areas within this magnificent region, they offer a professional service to help you plan the trip of a lifetime.
One of their trips include a stayover at Cape Town’s legendary Mount Nelson Hotel and Johannesburg’s stylish Westcliff Hotel, with South Africa’s premier rail experience, The Blue Train, and the magnificent nature-lovers paradise, Grootbos Private Nature Reserve.
Rovos Rail has built a reputation as one of the most luxurious trains in the world today.
Step aboard the wood panelled coaches - classics remodelled and refurbished to mint condition - and enjoy fine cuisine in five-star luxury as some of the most beautiful scenery unfolds beyond the windows. You can recapture the romance and atmosphere of a bygone era, when privileged travellers experienced magical Africa in a relaxed and elegant fashion.
The rebuilt sleeper coaches contain the most spacious train suites in the world, offering every modern convenience and comfort; the epitome of luxury, with handsome wood panelling and period Edwardian features. The use of traditional furnishings and period décor ensure an atmosphere of elegance and grandeur in the Dining, Lounge and Observation cars.Rovos Rail offers a variety of different tours all across Southern Africa such as their scenic Garden Route tour. It is a 550-kilometre, 24-hour, trip that runs between Cape Town and George during the summer months.
During stopovers you can enjoy wine and brandy tastings at some of the finest wine farms as well as the KWV Brandy distillery.
Another 48-hour journey travels between Pretoria and Cape Town. This 1600-kilometre journey is a perfect illustration of South Africa as a world in one country. You will travel from the grasslands of the gold rich Highveld to the haunting barrenness of the Great Karoo and trundle through the spectacular mountain ranges and scenic winelands of the Cape.
If you have more time on your hands you can venture all the way into Namibia, Zimbabwe and even Dar Es Salaam.
